LATROBE, Pa. - With Artie Burns not practicing, Stephon Tuitt took over as Antonio Brown's shadow.
Cockrell had campaigned to get a shot at being the cornerback assigned to follow the Steelers' All-Pro receiver.
Cockrell finally got what he wanted this afternoon.
The first pass thrown in "Seven Shots" was fired by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to Brown, but Cockrell batted it away.
Brown got the best of Cockrell in 11-on-11 work on a deep throw over the middle on which Cockrell gave ground but still wasn't in position to take away Brown's cutback after the catch.
Brown also beat Cockrell on a deep out-route, and again on a slant for a touchdown in 11-on-11.
Cockrell deflected a pass away from Brown in the end zone during a red zone drill.
That same drill was highlighted by Brown going up to get a pass from Roethlisberger and acrobatically attempting to get two feet down in bounds.
Media members standing just outside the end zone were convinced Cockrell pushed Brown out of bounds before Brown's second foot came down.
A crew of officials visiting Saint Vincent College and working practice awarded Brown a touchdown.
BLANKET COVERAGE: Roethlisberger did something rarely seen in 7-on-7 work when he held the ball, scrambled to his right and finally threw it out of bounds.
Since there's no pass rush in 7-on-7, the quarterback is usually able to find somebody to throw to sooner or later.
But cornerbacks Cockrell, Coty Sensabaugh and William Gay, safeties Robert Golden and Sean Davis, and linebackers Vince Williams and Tyler Matakevich didn't allow that to happen in this instance.
MEDICAL FILE: In addition to Burns, quarterback Landry Jones, safety Mike Mitchell, cornerback Senquez Golson, outside linebacker Bud Dupree, linebacker Ryan Shazier, guard Ramon Foster and outside linebacker William Gay were among the players who didn't practice due to injury or a coach's decision. Outside linebacker Farrington Huguenin was injured midway through practice.
**
Take an in-depth look at the Steelers' running backs as they go through a training camp practice.
WELCOME TO CAMP:** The Steelers signed cornerback JaCorey Shepherd and released defensive end Nelson Adams. Shepherd (5-foot-11, 199 pounds) is a former sixth-round pick of the Eagles out of Kansas in 2015. He appeared in 11 games for the 49ers in 2016 and averaged 21.7 yards on 21 kickoff returns. Shepherd practiced this afternoon.
QUICK-HITTERS: The offense won "Seven Shots," 5-2 (the first down was repeated when outside linebacker T.J. Watt was flagged for encroachment on a hard count). The offense was awarded a conversion/touchdown, as had been the protocol whenever the defense committed a penalty, when Sensabaugh was called for pass interference on the third rep … The play of the day in the 11-on-11 "tackle football" period was cornerback Mike Hilton's open-field drop of wide receiver Demarcus Ayers after a short catch in the flat … Wide receiver Justin Hunter dropped a deep ball from Roethlisberger after having gotten behind Sensabaugh. "Gotta have it," wide receivers coach Richard Mann scolded … Gay intercepted Roethlisberger on a deep sideline pass intended for wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey.
